or1980v2pt1

lem of the Games decorated the
square.
At exactly 16.00 hrs to the chimes of
the Kremlin bells Olympic champion
M. Koshevaya lit the ceremonial bowl
at the centre of the square with the
torch which had been passed to her on
the last stage of the relay.
The arrival of the Olympic flame in
Moscow was welcomed by the Chairman
of the Executive Committee of the
Moscow City Soviet of People's Deputies
Vladimir Promyslov and
the President of the OCOG-80
Ignati Novikov, who gave short
speeches.
After this torches were lit from the
bowl and messengers from Tallinn,
Leningrad, Kiev and Minsk ceremoniously
received them. They were led with
an escort to the Moscow railway stations
from which the flame was sent in
special wagons to those towns which,
along with Moscow, were playing host
to the Games.
Then the flame in the small ceremonial
bowl was lit and carried into the
building of the Moscow Soviet, where it
was left in safekeeping until the opening
day of the games.
The then Chief of Protocol of the
IOC Juan Antonio Samaranch (now the
president of IOC) took part in the
278
ceremonial meeting of the flame, along
with members of the IOC, presidents of
the IFs, the NOCs, honoured guests of
the Games, top athletes and public
figures.
On July 19 torch-bearers placed the
flame in the Grand Arena of the Central
Lenin Stadium—the main arena for the
Games of the XXII Olympiad.
On July 20 the relays brought the
Olympic flame to Tallinn, Leningrad,
Kiev and Minsk and in the same way the
relay ended with the lighting of the
flame in the competition sites.
The relay became a triumphant
procession for the Olympic ideas.
About twelve million people took part in
the solemn ceremonies and welcoming
of the flame along the whole route from
Olympia to Moscow. Hundreds of
thousands of athletes, artists and enthusiasts
of the physical culture movement
from four countries took part in
the preparation and realisation of the
relay itself and of the welcoming
ceremonies.
The torch-bearers showed a fine
example of selflessness and dedicated
service to the Olympic movement and
in memory of their participation in the
relay each runner kept the torch as well
as the uniform he wore.